Fornication and adultery, like stealing
and murder, are never acts of love but only the gratification of raging lusts
performed in defiance of God, contempt for their object, and complete
disregard for all others.

Daily Readings for the Week of April 29-May 6, 2018

Sunday 2
Kings 20-22 Thursday 1
Chronicles 6-7

Monday 2
Kings 23-24 Friday 1
Chronicles 8-10

Tuesday 2
Kings 25-1 Chron. 2 Saturday 1
Chronicles 11-13

Wednesday 1
Chronicles 3-5 Sunday 1
Chronicles 14-17

ŠQuarterly Fellowship Today — No Service Tonight

ŠI am scheduled to preach Saturday and Sunday for the New
Focus Bible Conference at Merton Evangelical (Baptist) Church in London,
England and for the Freegrace Fellowship in Ballymoney, Northern
Ireland Monday and Tuesday, May 7th and 8th.

Happy
Anniversary!

Klaus &
Ruth Peterson-4th Billy &
Jayalita McCormack-14th

Church
Cleaning in May: Lindsay & Diane Campbell

Nursery
Duty Today: Shante’ Birchum

It is
Christ’s Precious Blood — Don Fortner

(Tune:
#52 — Majestic Sweetness —CM)

1.Behold,
a sacred fountain springs

Up from the throne of
God,

And all new cov’nant
blessings brings! —

It is Christ’s precious
blood.

2.This
stream is that which sweeps away

My sins (A mighty
flood!),

And lets no guilt or
blemish stay! —

It is Christ’s precious
blood.

3.This
is the voice that speaks for me

In heav’n’s high court,
for good,

And from the curse has
made me free! —

It is Christ’s precious
blood.

4.The
blood, the blood, atoning blood,

Before the throne of God,

Accepted blood! Effectual
blood! —

That is Christ’s precious
blood!

Rest

Pastor
Henry Mahan

Rest is a sweet word to
the weary soul. All seek it but only believers find it. Paul wrote, “We
which have believed do enter into rest” (Hebrews 4:3). He did not say we
shall enter but we “do enter into rest.” There is a sweet repose, a
calm peace, and a sweet rest in Christ. We can trust him to forgive the past,
provide for the present, and guarantee the future. If you can believe God,
you will find in Christ all you need.

“Christ is
All”

In Heaven’s
Glory

Colossians
3:11

Christ will be all in heaven. Christ is heaven’s
glory. I cannot say much about this because I do not yet know much about it.
How can a mortal describe things unseen and a world unknown? But this I know,
all who enter heaven will find that even there (especially there!) “Christ
is all.”

All to Fill Our Eyes

Like the altar in Solomon’s temple, Christ
crucified will be the grand object in heaven. That altar struck the eye of
everyone who entered the temple gates. It was a great brazen altar, twenty
cubits broad, as broad as the front of the temple itself (2 Chronicles 3:4;
4:1). So, Christ will fill the eyes of all who enter glory. In the midst of
the throne, surrounded by adoring angels and saints, there will be “the
Lamb that was slain.” And “the Lamb shall be the light” of the
place (Revelation 5:6; 21:23).

All Our Praise

The praiseof Christ will be the eternal song of all the inhabitants of
heaven. There we shall sing with a loud voice, in perfect harmony, “Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain. Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be to
him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever”
(Revelation 5:12-13).

All Our Occupation

The service of Christ will be one eternal occupation of all the inhabitants of heaven. We
shall “serve him day and night in his temple” (Revelation 7:15).
Imagine that! We will forever serve our Savior perfectly! — Without
distraction! — Without weariness! — Without sin! — Without
end!

All Our Joy

The presence of Christ will be the everlasting enjoyment of heaven. We
shall “see his face,” and hear his voice, and speak with him as friend
with friend (Revelation 22:4). Christ himself shall be the reward of
heaven. The glory of Glory Land will be Christ himself (Psalms 17:15;
1 John 3:1-3).

Take
this word from God with you as you go out in the morning. Carry it with you
through the day. Take it to bed at night. Think about it. Dream about it. May
God give us grace to rejoice in it. — “Christ is All!” He is the
Treasure hidden in the field of Holy Scripture. He is the Pearl of Great
Price. Sell all and buy it. He is the sinner’s only hope!

All
in All

You
will never understand the Word of God at all, in any spiritual sense, until you realize that in
this blessed Book Christ is all! The Bible is a Book about redemption, and
Christ is the Redeemer! Christ is the Key that unlocks the Treasure Chest of
Holy Scripture. As Christ is all in the Book of God, Christ is all in all the
people of God.

“Shut up
and mind your own business.”

Pastor
Bruce Crabtree

That is a
rude translation of a portion of 1 Thessalonians 4:11 which says, “And
that ye study to be quiet (shut up), and to do (mind) your own
business.” That man who has learned anything about his tongue realizes
what an unruly evil it is. — “The tongue can no man tame.”

How many wars have been started? How
much affection has been lost? How many churches have split? How many poor
pastors have been discouraged half to death? How much good work has been
brought to nothing? All because someone stopped minding their own business
and was poking their nose into someone else’s. If we insist on running
another man’s shop for him, don’t be surprised if he quotes this verse to us,
and maybe gives us the rude translation too.

Dressing for Worship

I
am not about to establish a dress code for our worship services; but I abhor
the casual, sometimes immodest attire that has become common in many places.
In the house of God, attending the worship of God in the assembly of his
saints, we ought to dress for worship, as people who take the worship of God
seriously and come to the house of God respectfully. I know everything today
is geared toward casual attire, because everything today is geared toward
disrespect and utter disregard for others. Let us, out of reverence for our
God, respect for one another, and the honor of the gospel of the grace of
God, dress with some dignity when we come to the house of God. Do not
over-dress, calling attention to yourself; and do not under-dress, showing a
disregard for the worship of God. In the house of God especially, let us all adorn
ourselves in “modest apparel.” Shorts and T-shirts are fine for the
beach, fishing, and farming but not for the house of God.

“To Die is
Gain”

Philippians
1:21

Pastor
Darvin Pruitt

Believers are not at risk
of losing anything in death. What they lose is this cursed flesh that has
been nothing to them but a plague from the day they were born. What they lose
is an old nature that has warred against their spiritual minds from the day
they were born of God. What they lose is all the soap bubble dreams of a
cursed world that promises everything and gives nothing but heartache and
disappointment. In death they lose corruption and put on incorruption. In
death they lose mortality and gain immortality.

For the
believer death is gain because death is swallowed up in victory. Death to the
believer is gain because he will leave this sinful world and immediately be
ushered into the presence of his beloved Savior.